AN: Hi again folks, just a quick one before season 4 starts today (squeee!). I saw a very quick clip of Sherlock and Molly sitting together at what looked like Rosamund's christening and that naturally got me wondering whether they were just sitting together or there together and this little idea was born And therefore had to be typed. As usual, I own nothing, no copyright infringement intended.
Enjoy.
As was to be expected, he found her in the morgue; elbows deep in a corpse. Despite his usual penchant for making an attention-grabbing entrance, Sherlock had managed to slip in without Molly's notice, and now stood waiting, watching the autopsy with some interest. As she pulled the liver out to be weighed and examined, a rebellious strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail fell into her face. As she looked up to blow it out of her face, her eyes refocused on Sherlock and she jumped slightly in shock.
"Oh, Sherlock! Hi... I didn't see you there." She babbled a little in surprise, slipping the liver into a kidney bowl, before looking back over at him. "What are you doing here, did you need some more parts for one of your experiments?"
"No thank you. Just... in the area, thought I'd drop by." Sherlock awkwardly claimed, trying out a fake smile that Molly was more than used to by now.
"Okay then." She said anyway, carrying on with her autopsy as she waited for him to come out with whatever he was here to ask her for.
"So..." Sherlock awkwardly began, after watching her make a very neat incision into the liver, "Tomorrow. It's Rosamund's 'Christening'" he couldn't quite contain the sneer and eyeroll over the concept of baptising a baby.
"What about it?" Molly prompted with a smile.
"I assume you'll be going." Sherlock continued, more surely.
"Yes, of course, I wouldn't miss it."
"Good." Sherlock nodded, pursing his lips slightly as he hesitated before his next question. "Are you going... with anybody?"
Molly's eyebrows rose then furrowed as she considered why he would be asking. Not for himself, surely? More likely he would be vetting the guests, and he had made his opinions on her usual taste in men quite clear.
"No, just me. I'm not seeing anybody at the minute, so you don't need to worry about me bringing any dangerous sociopaths to the christening." She joked, smiling at him and expecting him to smile back at their shared joke, but instead found him frowning slightly.
"Right. Good. So..." he said slowly. Molly wasn't watching, back to her examination of the dead man's liver, and therefore didn't see his lips moving uncertainly, trying out words to begin the question he wasn't sure how to voice. When he finally did voice it, it drew her attention back to him immediately however.
"Would you like to go with me? To the christening."
If he had been expecting her to be excited, or overjoyed at being asked by him he was very quickly disappointed, as suspicion was the only emotion on her face as she stared at him, liver forgotten.
"Why?"
"That's what people do, isn't it?" Sherlock defended.
"You're not people." Molly quickly pointed out.
"Well I am, technically, a person."
"But you don't do this, not without some ulterior motive. Is it some kind of case? Is something going to happen at the christening?" Molly asked in worry.
"No, nothing is going to happen to Rosamund's big day." Sherlock assured "I've checked everything, vetted every guest and the priest, and I've been thorough, even more thorough than the wedding, nothing can have slipped by me this time."
"Okay, so why ask me out to it?" Molly questioned again.
"Well it's not really just to this, I just thought it would be a good place to start, since we'll both be there." Sherlock almost muttered, avoiding her eyes, "And research suggests that women do not like to attend these sort of events alone, as the attention on a baby triggers maternal instincts and hormones and I wanted to take advantage of that fact... but not take advantage in that way!" He swiftly backtracked, "I'm not, as some would say, just trying to 'get into your pants', I assure you my intentions are completely honourable I just-" he cut off his embarrassed rambling abruptly as Molly pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, the way he had done to her several times before.
"Yes. I'll go with you."
"You will?" Sherlock confirmed, eyes wide in surprise at how relatively easy it had been to convince her.
"Yes, of course." She beamed, tucking the stray strand of hair behind her ear, and looking back down at her work to try and hide her blush. "Though if this does turn out to be some ploy, you will have to find another pathologist to supply you with body parts for your experiments, because you won't get any more off of me."
"Yes, of course." Sherlock hurriedly agreed, trying to prove his earnestness. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Mhmm. Pick me up at 10?"
"Yes, right, picking you up, that's something people do on dates. Got it..."